The Good Fight
I’m trying
so hard
to see the lighter
side of life
and be positive
in the face
of adversity
and strife
and yet
every day
I find that the
negative space
is not filled up
with light
pacific rain forest
Gideon’s Challenge
The Summer Cold
Orange juice
and lots of water
aspirin
and long showers
DayQuil has no affect
and the germs
rampage
ever onward
cold sweats
and hot flashes
drenched sheets
and conjunctivitis
for fucksake
a sinus infection
please let me be
at the end
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Gideon’s Challenge
Drenched
Droplets cling
to delicate petals
and trail along
strands of hair
to drip drip drip
onto skin
flushed warm
from exertion
as face turns up
to greet tray sky
and pray
for more
ever more
rain
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Gideon’s Challenge
The Connection
Dead leaves
and wet knees
muddy boots
and deep roots
here in the forest
it’s all connected
take off your shoes
toes bare
and unprotected
dig in deep
beneath the leaves
to find cool soil
and let senses ease
sip at the calm
the earth can give
and let stress trickle away
like water through a sieve
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Gideon’s Challenge
More and More
Billowing
they grow from
mountain’s peaks
to fill
empty space
with presence
so much larger
than the mountains
they seem
to be birthed from
and in this I see
how my love
grows and grows
for you
dwarfing all else
mountains included
Photo © ZenStatePhotography
Gideon’s Challenge
The Seduction
I am drawn
again and again
to your sweet kiss
like moth to flame
or bee to nectar
and as
your lips
move on mine
and your intensity
rises higher
it is the butterflies
that come to visit
and dance
within my core.
Twisting the Leaf 